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Faith Friday: A Lesson from Adam and Eve

In Islam most of the emphasis is placed on Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) because he is Allah s.w.t.'s Final Messenger. He was sent as a sign of His Mercy because if it weren't for him we wouldn't have received His Guidance through the Holy Qur'an and his Sunnah. It is our responsibility to learn from his honourable example. At the same time, it should be highlighted that there are many lessons to be learned from all prophets.

The story of the downfall of Prophet Adam and Hawa (Eve) (peace and blessings upon them) is one that really hits the nail for me. It all began from Shaytan's whisperings which led to feelings of waswas - insinuating whispers which causes doubtand disobedience towards God. Prophet Adam and Hawa had everything. They lived in the Garden of Eden where Allah s.w.t. provided for their every need and desire. Life was perfect and blissful.

However, because of Shaytan's evil whisperings they jointly disobeyed God's command. It was a simple command too - to stay away from fruits of the forbidden tree. Yet they transgressed, just like we do everyday, because that is human nature.

We will always make mistakes in this life but the way to obtain Allah's pleasure and forgiveness is by realising our mistakes, learning from them and repenting sincerely. As Allah s.w.t. said in Surah Ta Ha, He will give us guidance but it is our choice whether we follow it or not. We need to seek protection from Shaytan's whisperings because Iblees has promised that he will be the cause of the Children of Adam's downfall to Hell.

The most important thing we should remember about repentance is the vastness of His Mercy and Forgiveness. It's never too late and it's never too big a sin because Allah s.w.t. is always there for us if we always turn to Him and never give up hope on His Mercy. Having said that, we shouldn't take time for granted. Every minute, every hour and everyday is an opportunity for us to seek Allah's love and forgiveness. Can you really say for sure that you will be alive and healthy tomorrow?

Anon: I am not the best person to ask regarding this topic but if it weren't for your question I wouldn't have researched it so thank you for asking!

This is the answer I've found online.

Regarding the question you have asked, it is a known fact that legislation differs from one Shari'ah to another, while the principles and beliefs remain the same in all of them. So, making of portraits was allowed in the Shari'ah of Sulayman (peace be upon him) but is prohibited in our Shari'ah. Similarly, making prostration of salutation was permitted in the Shari'ah of Yusuf (peace be upon him) but is illegal in ours. Also, war booty was prohibited for nations before us but it is completely legal for us. The Qiblah of people before us used to be towards Bayt Al-Maqdis, but for us it is towards Ka'bah. In a similar way, marriage between brothers and sisters was permitted in the Shari'ah of Adam (peace be upon him) as opposed to those that came afterwards. The following is a clarification on the issue by Haafidh Ibn Katheer, who said:

Allaah allowed Adam (peace be upon him) to marry his daughters to his sons for necessity. Every couple used to have a boy and a girl. Hence, he married the girl of one couple to the boy of another. This is said by Suddi regarding what has been narrated by Abu Maalik and Abu Salih, from Ibn ‘Abbas, by Murrah from Ibn Mas‘ood and by other companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him) that Adam did not have (in his grandchildren) a baby boy unless it was accompanied by a girl, so he married the male of a couple to the female of another, and the female of a couple to the male of another.

Tafsir Ibn Katheer, Surat Al-Maa’idah, 5:27

http://www.islam-qa.com/en/ref/255

I once read somewhere that each time Hawa/Eve (peace be upon her) gave birth, she gave birth to a set of twins of a boy and a girl. However, the twins were not allowed to marry one another.

I know this may sound strange, especially to a non-Muslim, but Allah only allowed the intermarrying of Adam's (peace be upon him) children to take place for the sake of continuing the lineage. After that God deemed it to be FORBIDDEN for brothers and sisters to marry one another.

This can be found in other religious scriptures that Muslims believe were bestowed upon God's prophets but have been distorted by people since its revelation - Injil via Prophet Isa (Bible), Zabur (Psalms) via Prophet Daud, Taurah via Prophet Musa (peace be upon them)

Story of Adam and Hawa (peace be upon them) and the first crime of murder in humanity:http://interxs.com.my/Books/Books.nsf/9c5ee60eeed551ea852563c000646f91/36fa86503bb8917488256e30000441a2?OpenDocument

Anon, if by mentioning God's laws you are referring to the Holy Qur'an, then yes His laws are constant for the time of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and the eras that come after that because He was the Final Messenger who brought the Final Message.

Allah did prescribe (slightly) different laws for different times BEFORE Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) but the essence of His Message has always been the same: to obey the One and Only Creator.